


What it takes to come alive.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alex Manes Week 2019, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 17:24:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18761005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Alex expected a lot of things to be different when he finally came back home to Roswell. But what he didn't expect was to see Michael Guerin in a relationship. And with Kyle Valenti? No, that can't be right? Can it?orDay 5 of Alex Manes Week: canon divergence, what-ifs, fix-its.





	What it takes to come alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Just working my way through the finale with fic. Fluffy fic. Fluffy crack fic. 
> 
> Title from "We Found Love" by Rihanna.

Alex has been back in Roswell for a couple of months and he’s still getting used to things. Things like his father, the parade the town threw for him, seeing Michael Guerin at the Airstream the Air Force was investigating, a reunion he avoided like the plague, and Kyle Valenti showing up at his father’s cabin surprised to find Alex living there and apologizing for his past behaviors.

 

But the weirdest thing, by far, was that Michael and Kyle were apparently friends. Alex isn’t sure, but he’s seen them around town together enough that it wasn’t just a one off when he saw them buying groceries and he hidden behind a display of Oreos. _Not his finest moment._

 

He heads to the Wild Pony one afternoon in a quest to get out of his stuffy cabin. He sees Maria behind the bar and sits on a barstool.

 

“Alex! Hi. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Maria says as she hands him a beer.

 

“Sorry. Just trying to adjust.” Alex turns at the sound of Michael’s laughter and freezes. Michael’s playing pool with none other than Kyle. He turns back to Maria.

 

“Do Guerin and Valenti always play pool together?”

 

A strange looks crosses Maria’s face but she quickly schools it.

 

“Yeah. When Kyle gets a night off.” Alex nods. Right, Kyle’s a doctor.

 

“I didn’t know they were friends.” Maria squeaks and Alex looks up at her.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing sweetie.” Maria goes to help another customer and Alex drinks his beer.

 

**~~~**

 

The next time Alex sees them, it’s at the Crashdown. He was meeting Liz for lunch when he sees Michael and Kyle in a booth eating burgers and drinking milkshakes. He sits down at the counter just as Liz brings out their food.

 

“Nice antennas.” Alex jokes.

 

Liz swats his arm. He turns a quick glance towards Kyle and Michael and really wishes that someone other than himself and Michael knew about them in high school. What he wouldn’t give to ask Liz if it was weird that both of their ex-boyfriends were hanging out together.

 

“It’s weird being back right?” Liz asks him as she gestures to Kyle and Michael’s table. “It’s like Roswell moved on without us, but at the same time it didn’t.”

 

Alex laughs because that’s exactly how he feels.

 

“It’s definitely weird all right.”

 

**~~~**

 

Alex doesn’t see Michael and Kyle together for another couple of weeks. He’s a little ashamed to admit that he’s seen them both separately on a number of occasions but he always finds a way to avoid being noticed. It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ to see them, but he just isn’t sure what to say to them. He didn’t leave things on good terms with either of them.

 

His joke about Santa’s Workshop that he knew would hurt Michael. Him letting Kyle walk out of his cabin, after Kyle had said Alex was the bravest person he knows, without so much as a _thank you_. He hasn’t been kind to either of them. Years of past hurts on both of their parts, Michael’s as his lover, and Kyle’s as his best friend, still sit fresh in Alex’s mind.

 

He’s just walking into the restaurant where he’s supposed to be meeting Liz and Maria for dinner when he spots them. Michael and Kyle are at a table with Isobel and her husband Noah. If Alex didn’t know better he’d say it looks like a double date, but that can’t be, because Kyle is straight. Right? Maybe they’re better friends than he thought?

 

“Hey.” Alex says to both Maria and Liz as he sits down.

 

“Alex!” They both crow in happiness and he smiles. Regardless of everything weird that has happened, and is happening, he’s glad he still has them.

 

**~~~**

 

Alex decides to find out for himself just how close Michael and Kyle are, so one morning he drives to the junkyard hoping to speak with Michael. He sees Michael bent over the hood of a car, with jeans, a white T-shirt, and that damn belt buckle, as he gets out of his truck. He’s about to say something when Kyle exits the Airstream as he pulls on a scrub top. _Jesus, is that an eight pack?_

 

“Babe. Working already?” Kyle asks as he walks over to Michael and puts his hands on his waist. _Wait, did he just call Michael ‘babe’?_

 

Michael turns in his arms. “Mmm. Just waiting for you to get up.” Michael leans up and kisses Kyle, who pulls them more flush together.

 

Alex is frozen in place. He thinks, no he _knows_ , he’s in shock.

 

“We’re staying at home tonight right?” Kyle asks Michael when they break apart.

 

“Yeah. When you get off, I might be asleep though, I have to be here early for a repair.”

 

Kyle leans his head into Michael’s neck.

 

“You’re bringing me dinner tonight though?” Kyle mumbles.

 

“Yep. Going to start the chili after I finish this.” Michael jerks his head towards the car at his back.

 

Kyle moans. “You’re the best.” Kyle kisses Michael again.

 

“I know. Get out of here Doc, you’re going to be late.” Michael says cheekily and shoves him towards Kyle’s BMW.

 

Kyle laughs and Alex knows he has to move. He’s right between his own car and Kyle’s and he knows Kyle will see him. But he can’t get his legs to move.

 

“Alex?” Kyle says as he spots him. Michael turns towards them as well.

 

“Alex?” Kyle tries again when he doesn’t speak. He opens his mouth a few times but no words come out.

 

“Are you okay? You look a little pale. Here come sit. Can you move?” Kyle moves him towards the lawn chairs, doctor mode officially activated. He can vaguely see Michael and Kyle talking and then Michael runs into the Airstream. He comes back out a moment later with a glass of water for Alex.

 

Alex takes the glass but he can’t bring himself to take a sip yet.

 

“I have to go to work.” Kyle says to Michael.

 

“Go. We’ll be fine.”

 

“I’ll see you later.” Kyle places a kiss on Michael’s cheek as Michael smiles at him. Kyle walks to his car and Michael opens his door with his telekinesis.

 

“Such a gentlemen.” Kyle says as he gets in his car and pulls away. The display of Michael’s powers jolts Alex out of his stupor.

 

“He knows about you?” Alex asks him as he takes a sip of the water. The coldness helps bring him back to the moment. Michael looks down at him and then sits in a chair.

 

“Yeah. I told him not long after I told you actually.”

 

“How’d that go?” Alex can’t help but ask. He isn’t sure he wants to know. He isn’t sure he wants to get into Michael and Kyle’s _relationship._ Especially now that he knows how far back it goes. Call it morbid curiosity.

 

Michael laughs. “About as well as it did for you.”

 

Alex nods his head. A blush rising to his cheeks at the memories of the horrible things he said to Michael after he found out he was an alien. It was weeks after his first deployment had ended and he was home on leave. He spent nearly every second with Michael, and Michael had blurted it out one night that he was an alien. Alex hadn’t taken it well, and he had stormed off. He didn’t see Michael again until he was about to leave and their goodbyes to each other had felt permanent in a way nothing else had. He swore he wouldn’t say anything, had kissed Michael one last time, and then didn’t see him again until he saw him at Foster’s Ranch a couple of months ago.

 

“You can ask you know.” Michael nods like he can see Alex’s internal struggle. Hell, he probably can.

 

“How? When?” Alex doesn’t know what he wants to know first, but hopefully Michael understands.

 

“His summer between undergrad and med school. He was back before he went to Idaho and you had left not that long before.” Michael laughs. “We got into it at the Wild Pony. Running our mouths off at each other. Eventually I went outside and he followed me. Shoved me into a wall and just kissed me. I was shocked but thought _what the hell_. And uhh, yeah. Spent the summer together, then didn’t want it to end so we did the long distance thing until he took a job at the hospital here. That was about two years ago. I told him I was alien the first time I visited him at school.”

 

“So you’ve been together all that time?”

 

“Yeah. Uh. Six years. Almost seven.”

 

“And he said home?” Alex knows he shouldn’t ask. But he can’t seem to help himself.

 

“Yeah.” Michael smiles, and it’s probably the most beautiful smile Alex has ever seen cross his lips. “When he first came back we were staying in the trailer. But it’s a little small for both of us, so we bought a ranch a little outside of town about a year and a half ago.”

 

Alex nods. “But you still have the trailer?”

 

“Yeah. Didn’t want to give it up. Plus it’s nice when I’m working to have a bathroom and a place to eat. Kyle stays here during breaks between double shifts sometimes, it’s closer than our house, and we use it when we’re too tired to drive home.”

 

“Sanders doesn’t mind that you keep it here?”

 

“Sanders retired. He sold me the place a couple of years ago.”

 

“Wow. That’s...that’s great. I didn’t realize.”

 

“Yeah. I never changed the name. It’s kind of a staple around here.”

 

Alex laughs at that.

 

“I’m sorry we never told you.” Michael looks at him with searching eyes.

 

“It’s okay. You don’t owe me any explanations.”

 

“I know we don’t. Still. I know how much he hurt you in high school. He does too. It was actually what we were fighting about that night at the Pony.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.” Michael nods. Alex is oddly touched by that.

 

“There’s a lot of hurt between all of us. Does he know?”

 

“Yeah. I told him during that first trip up to visit him. There are no secrets between us.” Alex notices Michael rubbing his left hand.

 

“It seems like you have more mobility.” Alex nods his head at Michael’s hand.

 

“Yeah. Kyle. He...well…” Michael rubs the back of his neck and smiles.

 

“I get it. Nice to be dating a doctor.”

 

“Yeah. I mean he suggested PT when he first learned what happened, but I didn’t want to do that. So he took some classes so he could do it.” Michael shrugs but Alex can tell he’s pleased.

 

“I’m glad.”

 

“He uh...didn’t take it well, when I told him what happened. He felt like he had failed you, as a friend. For never noticing that Jesse…”

 

“It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know.”

 

Michael nods, a solemn look on his face. An alarm goes off on Michael’s phone and they both jump.

 

“Shit. Sorry. I have to start the chili now or he’ll be eating at midnight when he gets off.”

 

“You cook in there?” Alex gestures towards the trailer.

 

“Yeah. This is crock pot food so it can cook while I work. Anything more complicated I can’t.”

 

“Still. That’s awesome.” Alex starts to walk towards his car. He came here for answers and he got them.

 

“Hey Alex?”

 

Alex turns and waits for Michael to speak.

 

“Are you free next Saturday?”

 

“Yeah I think so.”

 

“Do you want to come over to our place for dinner? We’ve been meaning to ask you.”

 

“Uhh…” Alex isn’t sure that’s a good idea. He has so many emotions and feelings about not only Michael and Kyle, but Michael and Kyle _together_ , and he needs to unpack them. Somehow. But, he’s weak. “Sure. What time?”

 

“6:30? I’ll put streaks on the grill while it’s still light out.”

 

“Okay. Yeah I can do that.”

 

“Great. I’ll text you the address.” Alex is about to ask if Michael has his number when a text comes through with an address. _Looks_ _like Michael has the same number too._

 

“Thanks I’ll see you then.” Alex gets in his car as Michael shuts the door to his trailer. _Shit, what did he just agree too?_

 

**~~~**

 

Saturday comes around and Alex is still not ready to see Michael or Kyle. And in their home. He pulls up the long driveway and sees the familiar truck and BMW parked out front.

 

The house, in Alex’s opinion, is perfect. Michael wasn’t lying when he said it was a ranch style home. All brown brick with a huge front porch. Like Texas mixed with New Mexico, and so Michael that Alex feels like crying.

 

He knocks on the front door and takes a step back when Michael answers.

 

“Hey. Glad you could make it.” Michael says as he gestures Alex inside.

 

“You wear glasses?” Alex asks as he takes in the tortoise shell glasses Michael is wearing instead of saying hello. _Jesus_ . Does he look good in _everything?_

 

“Huh. Yeah. Only after a long day. Things get blurry. Don’t let Kyle complain about how we never get sick or seem to need medical intervention of any kind. He won’t stop.”

 

“Not true. And it’s super annoying that none of you get sick.”

 

“Yeah yeah.” Michael laughs. Alex takes a look around and falls a little more in love with the place. It’s one big open space with wood beams, woods floors, and a fireplace opposite the big open kitchen. There are French doors that are open to a deck that runs the entire length of the back of the house.

 

“Hey man. You want a beer?” Kyle breaks Alex out of his reprieve and Alex holds up the six pack he brought.

 

“Oh thanks.” Kyle takes it and puts the rest in the fridge.

 

“I love your house.” Alex says quietly. Kyle smiles.

 

“Thanks. We do too. Michael’s done a lot of the work. C’mon let’s go outside. He started a fire.”

 

Alex follows him outside, but not before he catches the pictures up on the mantle. There are some of Max, Isobel, and Noah. Some of Kyle’s parents. There’s even one with Michael, Kyle, and Kyle’s parents before Jim passed away. But most of them are of Michael and Kyle. Candid photos of them, photos of them posing in different places, one photo of them kissing on a beach, and a photo of them sitting next to each other on top of the Airstream with Michael wearing a 25th Birthday hat. There’s even one of them in a pair of tuxes, probably from Isobel’s wedding, that makes Alex go a little weak in the knees.

 

“Is steak and potatoes okay?” Michael asks him once he sits down at the table.

 

“Yeah. Sounds delicious. I still can’t believe you can cook.”

 

“Well one of us has too.” Michael jokes from the grill. There’s a salad already on the table, along with a couple of different homemade dressings.

 

“I can cook!” Kyle says outraged.

 

“Debatable.” Michael smirks and brings the steaks and potatoes to the table.

 

They start eating and Alex is surprised it’s a comfortable silence. The food is delicious as well.

 

“So Maria knows your dating right?” Alex asks after everyone has mostly eaten.

 

“Yeah. I mean I think most people do.” Michael says as he leans back in his chair.

 

“Why?” Kyle asks him.

 

“She didn’t say anything when I saw you guys at the Wild Pony.”

 

“Oh probably because she didn’t know if you knew about us. And doesn’t know that we have history.” Michael shrugs.

 

“That makes sense.” Alex reaches down and grabs the backpack he brought with him. He doesn’t want to ruin the evening they’re having, but he knows they need to talk about this.

 

He hands the backpack to Michael.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Just. Open it.” Michael looks skeptical but he opens it anyways.

 

Michael gasps as he pulls out the piece of alien glass. He shows it to Kyle.

 

“Is that?” Kyle asks him as he touches the glass.

 

“A piece of the console? Yes.” Michael smiles. Kyle takes the glass from him.

 

“Where did you get this?” Kyle asks him.

 

“In the cabin. It was in a wall in the bunker.”

 

“The detox bunker?” Michael asks and Alex nods.

 

“I know you know about Project Shephard.” Kyle and Michael both nod their confirmation.

 

“I was able to shut it down. I sent my dad to Niger with the threat of a Dishonorable Discharge. But there’s so much information to look through. And with your dad involved Kyle, and well...with this being about you and Max and Isobel, Michael, I could use both of your help.”

 

“Damn.” Michael whistles.

 

“Yeah man. Of course we’ll help.” Kyle says as he sets the glass down and reaches across the table to squeeze Michael’s hand.

 

Alex gasps quietly. He hasn’t spent much time with them together, but he was struck by not only their flirty banter, their sexiness, and the rightness of them, but also their love. He could see it now, reflected in both of their eyes as they stared at each other.

 

Michael gets up and goes to the kitchen.

 

“Okay! Who wants desert?” Michael says when he comes back with a tray of cookies and milk.

 

“You burnt them?” Alex asks joyfully as he stuffs one in his mouth.

 

“Of course. That’s how you like them.” Kyle says as he snags his own cookie.

 

**~~~**

 

Alex isn’t sure how this is his life. In the months following dinner at Kyle and Michael’s house, he has spent more time with them than he ever has before. More often than not he’s over there for dinner or they’re out together on the town.

 

One night he gets a call from a frantic Michael.

 

“‘Lo.” Alex says as he tries to wake himself up.

 

“Alex. Thank god.”

 

“Michael?”

 

“Yeah. Sorry. Did I wake you?”

 

Alex shuffles in his bed so he can sit up. He chances a look at the clock and winces when he sees the late or early morning time, depending on who you ask.

 

“It’s okay. What’s up?”

 

“It’s Kyle. He’s sick and I don’t know what to do. And he’s so out of it I can’t ask him.” Michael’s breathing is erratic and he sounds very close to a panic attack.

 

“Michael. Hey. Calm down. Breathe.”

 

He hears Michael take a deep breath, and then another. When Alex feels like Michael has calmed down he speaks again.

 

“What are his symptoms?”

 

“He’s uhhh...been getting sick the last couple of hours and he’s burning up.”

 

“Okay. Sounds like a fever, and maybe he picked up that bug that’s going around.”

 

“Okay. Okay. Yeah he said something about that.”

 

“Michael, where is he now?”

 

“The bathroom.”

 

“Why don’t you get him in the bathtub and run him a bath and I’ll come over with everything to help.”

 

“Thank you.” Michael breathes out and Alex smiles.

 

When he gets to their house and finds them both in the bathroom, he almost laughs at the sight. Michael looks frantic, his curls wild and Kyle looks half a second from never getting out of the tub. He takes all the medicine and supplies and puts them on the counter as he sits on the edge of the tub as best as he can.

 

“Hey Doc. You really are the worst patients aren’t you?” Alex jokes as he pushes Kyle’s sweaty hair off of his forehead.

 

“Lex?” Kyle asks. Alex smiles in spite of himself. It seems that both Kyle and Michael have taken to calling him that.

 

“Yeah. Here take these. And drink this.” Alex hands him the medicine and a Gatorade.

 

“Your leg?” Kyle reaches up to touch his prosthetic. Alex bats his hand away.

 

“I’m fine. Drink.” He holds the Gatorade up to Kyle’s mouth. He sits there until Kyle finishes and starts to feel a little cooler.

 

“Guerin? Can you get him out of the tub and in bed? Alex asks after Kyle starts to fade.

 

“Yeah.” Alex and Michael switch places and Alex can hear Michael whispering to Kyle as he slips out of the bathroom to sit on the couch.

 

“Thank you.” Michael comes out a little while later and flops on the couch with his head landing in Alex’s lap. Alex starts carding his fingers through Michael’s curls, well aware that this calms him down.

 

“You’re welcome.” Alex says. He knows he should leave. He knows that they’re crossing boundaries they shouldn’t cross. The guilty feeling he has in his chest in direct conflict with the rightness of Michael laying down on him. He doesn’t think too much of it because he’s asleep before he can even think to move Michael.

 

Alex is woken up later by a hand shaking his shoulder.

 

“Lex. Hey sorry to wake you. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have to be on base?” Alex looks over at Kyle and shakes his head _no_.

 

He reaches a hand up to Kyle’s forehead and is pleased that the fever seems to have broken.

 

“Feeling better?”

 

“Yes. Much. Thank you for coming over.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

“Got room for one more?” Kyle asks as he comes to lay down on Alex’s other side and lays his head down on Alex’s other leg, Michael still in his position from last night. _Thank god they have a sectional._

 

“Yeah, Doc. I got room for one more.” Alex smiles and starts playing with Kyle’s hair, a pleased hum coming from him.

 

**~~~**

 

Alex lets himself into Kyle and Michael’s dark house. _Yes he has a key to their house. Yes he knows that it’s weird. Whatever._

 

“Hello! Kyle? Michael?” Alex yells as he walks further into the house. He’s about to call one of them when suddenly all of the lights come on.

 

“Surprise!” Everyone in the house shouts at him and he starts laughing. He looks around and his eyes immediately find Kyle and Michael. Then he sees Maria, Liz, Max, Isobel, Noah, and Jenna.

 

“You guys!” Alex laughs and shakes his head. Kyle and Michael walk up on each side of him.

 

“Happy Birthday Lex.” They both say. Maria walks up with a cake.

 

“C’mon Alex, make a wish.” Maria says as she lights the candles. He smiles and leans down to blow them out. Just as he leans forward Michael and Kyle both kiss him on his cheeks. He smiles as he makes his wish.

 

“Thank you.” He says to them quietly and they smile.

 

As Maria starts cutting the cake he gets a text message from Isobel. It’s a picture of Alex blowing out the candles, head bowed forward over the cake with his eyes closed and Kyle and Michael kissing each of his cheeks.

 

If he makes that picture his phone background nobody has to know.

 

And when he sees that same photo sitting on Kyle and Michael’s mantle the next time he comes over, well nobody would blame Alex if he gets teary eyed.

 

**~~~**

 

Alex is laying on Kyle and Michael’s couch, flicking through the channels on the TV.

 

“Hey go back. I like that movie.” Michael says from where he’s sitting on the floor. He has Alex’s prosthetic leg on the coffee table and he’s working on some of the mechanics.

 

“The Notebook? Really?” Alex chuckles at Michael’s movie choice.

 

“It’s a good movie.” Michael states as he grabs another tool.

 

“You’re a sap.” Alex teases and Michael sticks his tongue out at him.

 

Kyle walks in a little while later carrying dinner for everyone.

 

“Awe, The Notebook again. Really babe?” Kyle asks as sets the food down on the coffee table. He leans down to kiss Michael.

 

“What are you doing?” Kyle asks as he hands Alex his food.

 

“Yes. Chocolate shake and curly fries. Thank you!” Alex crows happily as he starts dipping his fries in the milkshake.

 

“Gross.” Kyle comments as he sits down next to Alex.

 

“I’m fixing his prosthetic since his leg is chafing. Honestly you give your leg for your country, you’d think the military would make better prosthetics than this. Smh.” Michael grumbles.

 

“Your leg is chafing? Let me see.” Kyle puts his food down and reaches for Alex’s right leg.

 

“It’s fine. Eat your food.” Alex says as he tries to scoot away. Kyle levels him with his _doctor_ look and Alex caves.

 

“Fine. Ugh. Not my fault if your food gets cold.”

 

“It’ll keep.” Kyle says as he rolls up Alex’s pant leg. Kyle hisses when he sees the angry red skin.

 

“Jesus Lex. Why didn’t you say it was hurting?” Kyle asks as he starts to massage the top of Alex’s knee. Alex moans in spite of himself. Michael looks over at Alex’s leg and tsks at him.

 

“Cowboy, get me the lotion from the bathroom please.” Kyle says to Michael who promptly floats the lotion into the living room.

 

“Convenient.” Alex moans as Kyle keeps up his massage.

 

“Honestly Lex, you shouldn’t have let it get this bad.” Kyle applies the lotion and Alex releases a breath at the cooling sensation. “You still have your crutches here?” Alex nods. “Good. You aren’t putting that back on until this is better.” Kyle points to his chafed skin.

 

Alex looks to Michael for help, but he just smirks and stops working on the prosthetic which is in a bunch of pieces and takes a bite of his burger. _Traitor._

 

Guess he’s using crutches all weekend.

 

**~~~**

 

Investigating Project Shephard and finding Caulfield have been some of the best times of his life and the worst. When Alex and Kyle found Michael in front of the cell that belonged to his mother they both broke down. Getting Michael out of there had taken both of them. And when the building exploded, Kyle had taken ahold of Michael and Alex had driven back.

 

Finding out Noah was the fourth alien and that Max had healed Michael’s hand without his consent had sent Michael into a tailspin. He was withdrawn and angry. He wouldn’t eat or sleep until they found a way to bring Max back. And seeing Rosa walking around was also shocking for them, but more shocking for her.

 

When Isobel and Michael finally figured out how to wake Max and pull him out of his pod, Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Things were finally starting to look up.

 

Until Alex walks into Michael and Kyle’s house one night to find Kyle in a screaming match with Max while Michael is on the back deck staring at the stars. They were so wrapped up in their argument that Alex was able to slip through the house unnoticed and go outside.

 

“Hey.” Alex says quietly so as to not startle Michael. Michael turns to him and smiles.

 

“Hey.”

 

“What’s going on in there?”

 

“Hell if I know.” Michael flexes his left hand and winces.

 

“Does it still hurt?” Alex asks. Michael nods.

 

“I told Kyle it still hurt today after I dropped a plate. Which I haven’t done in years. The mobility I had before was the best it had been since I was a teenager. But lately it seizes up and I can’t bend them anymore than I could when they were damaged.”

 

“Guerin…”

 

“Anyways. Kyle freaked and then Max showed up out of nowhere and they’ve been screaming at each other ever since.” Michael shrugs and looks back up at the sky.

 

Alex knows Michael isn’t going to say anything else so Alex walks in just as Kyle lunges at Max. Alex scrambles to pull Kyle back and both Kyle and Max seemed surprised to see him.

 

“What? Alex?” Max asks bewildered. Kyle’s still struggling but Alex whispers in his ear. “Stop.” Kyle stills almost immediately.

 

“You want to know what he told me today? Do you?” Kyle sags against Alex.

 

“Not only did Max heal his hand without his consent, oh no, but he’s also got a bad habit of punching him, or shoving him. And my favorite, that he didn’t tell me about until tonight. He shot at him, he pulled a goddamn gun on him, and he shot at him.” Kyle is seething, and Alex has half a mind to let Kyle go. Hell, he’s about ready to take a swing at Max himself.

 

Max blanches at the anger on Alex’s face.

 

“I didn’t know that you didn’t know.” Max says quietly.

 

“That is not the point!” Kyle yells as he struggles against Alex’s hold.

 

“Kyle…” Max tries again.

 

“I think you should leave.” Alex says in a steely voice. It’s the voice he uses on his subordinates and it does the trick. Max looks at him but must see something in his gaze as he nods and heads to the door.

 

Once Max is gone, Kyle sags into his hold and turns so Alex can hug him.

 

Alex can feel Michael come up to them and put his hands on Kyle’s back.

 

“Thank you.” Michael whispers as Kyle pulls away from Alex to hug Michael. Alex backs away but Michael pulls him in and adds him to the hug.

 

“He could’ve killed you.” Kyle whispers.

 

“Both of us could’ve died that night. But we didn’t and we’re here.” Michael says and Alex whimpers at the memory of finding out his dad had shot Kyle and Kyle had put his dad into a coma.

 

That night changed everything. Life as they knew it was over and a new normal now settles around them. Rosa is alive, his dad is in a coma, his brothers speak to him, Michael, Isobel, and Max now all have each other’s powers, and Alex is in love with Michael and Kyle. That revelation had hit him like a freight train, but he didn’t know what to do about it.

 

Finding out that he had almost lost both of them when he saw them step into their house in the early hours of the next morning, bloody and bruised, he had nearly sobbed in relief. He had been out of his mind with worry when he got a call from the hospital about his dad. He had driven straight to their house, only they weren’t there and they didn’t come home for a couple of hours. They took one look at him and collapsed onto him on the couch. They all slept the majority of the day and then when they woke up each of them had detailed their night.

 

Only it seems Michael had left out some of the details, until today.

 

“Hey. Hey. Look at me.” Michael pulls Alex’s chin to turn it towards him, effectively bringing him back to the present.

 

“None of this is your fault. You are _not_ your father.” Michael says firmly. Alex shakes his head, not willing to believe him.

 

“He’s right Alex. None of this is your fault.” Kyle says firmly.

 

“But he…”

 

“No. Alex. You’re not responsible for him or his actions. You never were.” Michael says quietly.

 

Both Kyle and Michael have their arms wrapped around Alex and all three of them have their foreheads pressed together. Alex feels a calm wash over him that he hasn’t felt since he was seventeen and with Michael for the first time.

 

Alex takes a step back out of their embrace. He really needs to get a handle on these feelings.

 

“Alex?” They both ask him.

 

“I’m sorry. I should go.” Alex takes another step back while shaking his head. He turns towards the door when he feels two hands on his arms. He’s being turned around by both Kyle and Michael.

 

Kyle and Michael share a look and they seem to be having a silent conversation. Michael pulls him into his personal space and almost flush to his body.

 

“Don’t go.” Michael whispers. Alex feels his breath catch. Michael is staring at him like he did when they were seventeen and Alex’s head is spinning. He turns to look at Kyle and Kyle is smiling and crowding close.

 

“You aren’t alone either.” Kyle says as he embraces both of them.

 

“And you aren’t the only one.” Michael whispers.

 

“How did…?”

 

Kyle points his head towards Michael who has the decency to look sheepish.

 

“I never went into your mind, or influenced you, but I can pick up on emotions better now and feelings that project themselves.” Michael says sheepishly.

 

“Okay.” Alex says.

 

“Okay?” Michael asks and Alex nods.

 

Michael takes that as an _okay_ and leans forward to kiss him. Alex melts into the kiss, something sliding into place that he didn’t know was missing.

 

He breaks the kiss reluctantly, still in shock that this is happening. He turns to Kyle and sees him looking at both of them with a heavy amount of lust and love.

 

Alex leans forward and opens his eyes to look into Kyle’s. He closes the distance and presses his lips to Kyle’s. It’s different than kissing Michael. Not so much a coming home, but a new beginning. The remaining piece of his heart and soul slotting into place. When he breaks the kiss with Kyle he leans back to look at them both.

 

“Wow.” Alex says breathlessly and all three of them laugh.

 

“We have a lot to talk about.” Alex says and both of them nod.

 

“Tomorrow. For tonight, let’s just sleep.” Michael suggests as he pulls them both towards the master bedroom.

 

“In your bed?” Alex can’t help but ask.

 

“In _our_ bed.” Kyle corrects. Alex nods.

 

“Okay. Okay. But after we talk, I’m killing Max.” Alex says resolutely. Both Kyle and Michael start laughing.

 

“Should’ve let me tackle him.” Kyle mumbles.

 

“I should’ve.” Alex confirms.

 

“You guys. He didn’t actually shoot me.” Michael says exasperated. Both Kyle and Alex push him onto the bed, now all down to their boxers. Alex sits down to slip off his prosthetic.

 

Kyle comes over and kneels in front of him. “Let me.”

 

Alex nods as Michael comes up behind him to lean his head on his shoulder.

 

“He shot _at_ you.” Alex says as he grabs Michael’s hand. “Which is just as bad. He could’ve missed.”

 

Once Kyle is done, they all fall into the bed with Alex sandwiched between them.

 

“Babe. What he did was wrong. And we need to talk to him about it.” Kyle says as he puts an arm around Alex to reach Michael. Michael takes his hand and kisses it and then leans closer to kiss Alex again.

 

Alex smiles and puts an arm around Michael.

 

“Fine. But tomorrow. Tonight is for cuddles.” Michael says cheekily. Kyle laughs and pulls them both closer. Alex decides that he loves being held between them. They can deal with Max tomorrow, after they sleep and have their own conversations.

 

_Tonight is for cuddles._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


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